'Nightcrawling: A novel' by Leila Mottley is a powerful and poignant story that follows Kiara, a 17-year-old young woman facing immense emotional and financial hardships. Left to fend for herself and her older brother after their mother's incarceration, Kiara takes on the responsibility of earning money to pay rent and support themselves. The book delves into themes of poverty, abandonment, exploitation, and resilience, showcasing Kiara's struggles to navigate a world filled with injustice and adversity. The writing style immerses the reader in Kiara's world, delivering a literary punch that is both astonishing and emotionally moving.
Through the eyes of Kiara, the novel explores the harsh realities of life and the challenges faced by marginalized individuals, offering a contemplation on vulnerability, protection, and visibility. The plot unfolds as Kiara grapples with adult responsibilities at a young age, making tough decisions to survive in a world that constantly pushes her into difficult situations. The author's poetic prose and vivid imagery bring to life the struggles and triumphs of Kiara, creating a narrative that is both heart-wrenching and hopeful.
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Nightcrawling includes several content warnings due to its exploration of themes such as sexual exploitation, trauma, mental illness, and familial abandonment.
From The Publisher:
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK
A dazzling novel about a young Black woman who walks the streets of Oakland and stumbles headlong into the failure of its justice system. This debut of a blazingly original voice "bursts at the seams of every page and swallows you whole" (Tommy Orange, author of There There ).
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker , The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, TIME, GOODREADS
Kiara and her brother, Marcus, are scraping by in an East Oakland apartment complex optimistically called the Regal-Hi. Both have dropped out of high school, their family fractured by death and prison
But while Marcus clings to his dream of rap stardom, Kiara hunts for work to pay their rent-which has more than doubled-and to keep the nine-year-old boy next door, abandoned by his mother, safe and fed. One night, what begins as a drunken misunderstanding with a stranger turns into the job Kiara never imagined wanting but now desperately needs: nightcrawling. Her world breaks open even further when her name surfaces in an investigation that exposes her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.
Rich with raw beauty, electrifying intensity, and piercing vulnerability, Nightcrawling marks the stunning arrival of a voice unlike any we have heard before.
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